I think that it is safe to say that early on I got my hopes up. Seven of Nine was introduced, and like many others I liked that character, and I thought maybe she was the shot in the arm this show needed. See I love DS9, and it was doing great right up to its fourth season, but they were forced to add Worf into the mix...and they took this potentially bad thing and turned it into something great. The writers used Worf as an excuse to shake things up, to not become complacent in their storytelling, and as a result Worf added this new Klingon element to DS9 that made the show and main storyline even bigger and better than it was initially planned.
On Voyager they added Seven, and for just a short time it was the shot in the arm the show really needed, but then the writers retreated back to the familiar territory they had already explored in the first three seasons. The episodes yet again became badly written, sloppy, lazy...only now Seven would be involved.
Judging by my rant on “The Gift”, it is clear that I disagreed with the decision to drop Kes from the cast. Hell I think I even disagree with their initial plan to drop Harry. Neelix is the first character to go in my book. I think a major problem with the writers on this show was that they weren’t willing to take a single chance. Everything has to have a happy ending. That goes for casting too. The writers were friends with Mulgrew, Picardo, Phillips, and now Ryan. But they didn’t hang out or talk to Lien, so she was easily expendable. Phillips is their buddy in real life so they wouldn’t drop him even if his character was worn out.
The season ended with a lame episode, in which our hero’s actions are called into question, and its hard to argue with that question, and she still gets to win and beat a guy who was right through in through. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. I saw no sign of regret in Janeway, no remorse at all for this guy. Sure she said “I’m sorry for what happened” but she says it in a way where you get the sense she is just saying it to make him feel better, maybe get him on her side. It left me disliking her character even more. She’s always right, even when she’s wrong. That was her arc for the season, and they explored it on several occasions. Well I’m not on board.
I suspect rough waters ahead with the Voyager crew.
NEXT TIME: Nowhere